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He afterwards1 quashed several tumults and insurrections, as well as several conspiracies against his life,
which were discovered, by the confession of accomplices,
before they were ripe for execution; and others subsequently. Such were those of the younger Lepidus, of
Varro Muraena, and Fannius Caepio; then that of Marcus
Egnatius, afterwards that of Plautius Rufus, and of Lucius Paulus, his grand-daughter's husband; and besides
these, another of Lucius Audasius, an old feeble man, who
was under prosecution for forgery; as also of Asinius Epicadus, a Parthinian mongrel,2 and at last that of Telephus, a lady's prompter;3 for he was in danger of his life
from the plots and conspiracies of some of the lowest of
the people against him. Audasius and Epicadus had
formed the design of carrying off to the armies his
daughter Julia, and his grandson Agrippa, from the islands in which they were confined. Telephus, wildly
dreaming that the government was destined to him by
the fates, proposed to fall both upon Octavius and the senate. Nay, once, a soldier's servant belonging to the army
in Illyricum, having passed the porters unobserved, was
found in the night-time standing before his chamber-door,
armed with a hunting-dagger. Whether the person was
really disordered in the head, or only counterfeited madness, is uncertain; for no confession was obtained from
him by torture.

2 Because his father was a Roman and his mother of the race of the
Parthini, an Illyrian tribe.

3 It was usual at Rome, before the elections, for the candidates to endeavour to gain popularity by the usual arts. They would therefore go
to the houses of the citizens, shake hands with those they met, and
address them in a kindly manner. It being of great consequence,
upon those occasions, to know the names of persons, they were commonly attended by a nomenclator, who whispered into their ears that
information, wherever it was wanted. Though this kind of officer was
generally an attendant on men, we meet with instances of their having
been likewise employed in the service of ladies; either with the view
of serving candidates to whom they were allied, or of gaining the affections of the people.

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